Dispute over Indo-Pacific strategy: German frigate “Bayern” is not allowed to dock in Shanghai

A visit by the frigate “Bavaria” to China planned by the federal government failed: Beijing refused to call at Shanghai.

China is bothered by the West's Indo-Pacific strategy.

Berlin / Munich - The frigate Bayern has to bypass the port of Shanghai. China refused the visit of the ship to the port metropolis requested by Germany. "After a period of reflection, China decided that it would not want the German frigate 'Bayern' to visit the port and we have taken note of that," said a spokeswoman for the German Foreign Office in Berlin on Wednesday. The Chinese side had delayed the decision for weeks. Germany has not succeeded in reducing the tensions with China caused by the Bavarians' trip.

The frigate set out from Wilhelmshaven for the Indo-Pacific on August 2 and is scheduled to call at Australia, Singapore, South Korea and Japan, among others.

On the way back of the approximately six-month journey, she is to cross the South China Sea, which has been largely claimed by China - but without crossing controversial waters.

“Bavaria” visit to Shanghai refused - USA and Europe do not recognize China claims

The German government announced in April that it would intensify its security policy engagement in the Indo-Pacific and, above all, coordinate more closely with Japan. The US and Europe do not recognize China's claims to the South China Sea; the USA repeatedly carries out freedom of navigation operations there. The reaction from Beijing to the

trip

was therefore rather frosty from the start - although Germany deliberately kept its recently published paper on the Indo-Pacific strategy open and broad.

Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke to President Xi Jinping on the phone just last week. Xi praised the trust that Merkel had built over the 16 years of Merkel's reign. Despite all the conflicts, Merkel always relied on dialogue. But in view of the upcoming election, Beijing is not sure how Germany will position itself in geopolitics in the future. In Berlin last week, Federal Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer denounced the “lack of political will” to reform the policy towards the Indo-Pacific, albeit without naming China. Kramp-Karrenbauer said she wanted the European Union to build a "permanent presence" in the region. Nils Schmid, foreign policy spokesman for the SPD, described the frigate's journey as "symbolically important",but saw no need for a military presence in the region.

Request for a port visit in China as a conciliatory gesture

The goals of the Bavarian trip, declared by the Ministry of Defense, are to maintain “a rule-based order and free sea routes”: a language that the Western allies always - albeit unspoken - align against China.

Berlin wanted to combine its commitment to these goals with a friendly gesture in the direction of China: the "Bayern" port visit that has now been canceled

The Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had also informed Beijing of the frigate's route in advance.

But that does not seem to be enough for Beijing - with the rejection China certainly wants to set an example - with the hint: Decide what you stand for.

There is a territorial conflict between China and other neighboring countries in the South China Sea. Beijing claims 80 percent of the ocean, which is rich in natural resources and through which important shipping routes run. Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia also make territorial claims. The International Court of Arbitration in The Hague rejected China's claims in 2016. Beijing ignores the verdict.